Join ‘a mini book club for the ears’ with The Read-Along!

Say you want the book-club experience without the pressure of reading a whole book on deadline, and without the hassle of gathering in someone’s living room. What do you do?

You subscribe to The Read-Along, that’s what. You’ll find yourself on “a journey through a good book, one chapter at a time,” with the husband-and-wife team of Anita and Scott C. Bourgeois.

Each episode is based on a chapter, so you only have to read a little bit at a time. The hosts don’t read ahead, so you don’t have to worry about spoilers, as long as you read the chapter before listening to the episode. They are also skilled in banter and approach the podcast with joy, so the journey is a lot of fun.

They are currently in the middle of Jasmine Gower’s Moonshine, a fantasy novel set in a world similar to 1920’s Chicago, but with magic. You can join them on this book, or look back at their previous titles, and proceed at your own pace — that’s the beauty of the podcast!

Let’s learn a little more about the bookworms behind the show:

Q. What will people get out of listening to your podcast?A. A low-commitment book club, motivation to read, story and character analysis, and a little humour.

Q. If you could have any guest on your show, who would you want and why?

A. We’ve discussed trying to get one of our featured authors on the show.

Q. Do you have any unusual hobbies or talents that would surprise your listeners?

A. Podcasting! We’re also big nerds who love tabletop games.

Q. What podcasts do you listen to?

A. Ken & Robin Talk About Stuff, The Greatest Generation: DS9, The Undad, Modern Manhood, I Have Some Notes, Press Start to Join, The Bugle and Lore are all regulars, but lots of other podcasts as well.

Q.Write your own epitaph — what would it say?

A. They came. They read. They talked about it.

Q. What has been your favourite episode and why?A. Episode 62, “Murder Arithmetic.” We go Full Book Club on The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz in our final overview of the book, after the weekly chapter-by-chapter read-through. Lots of great discussion.

Over the next several weeks, Todayville will introduce you to members of the Alberta Podcast Network, so you can invite even more Alberta-made podcasts into your ears! You can find The Read-Along and dozens of other shows at albertapodcastnetwork.com.

Live your best life with help from ‘Girl Tries Life’

If you’re looking for advice and inspiration from someone who walks her talk, look no further than Girl Tries Life.

Host Victoria Smith provides women with “the tools, strategies and inspiration to live their best lives.” And she knows whereof she speaks.

Her podcast recently passed the 100-episode mark, which is all the more impressive when you know she had a toddler son when she started, and gave birth to her daughter last year. Plus she has spun her work off into a business, called Stress Less Ladies, which has been accepted into the ATB X incubator.

Girl Tries Life alternates between interviews with women who are living incredible lives and continue to strive for more, and coaching episodes to tackle specific challenges that Smith has observed and sometimes lived through herself.

Let’s learn a little more about empathetic, knowledgeable host of this show:

Q. What will people get out of listening to your podcast?A. Inspiration from the badass women that I interview. And every coaching episode provides a tangible tool, skill or mindset shift to help them with their daily challenges.

Q. If you could have any guest on your show, who would you want and why?

A. Catherine Reitman, the creator of Working Moms. It’s an incredibly funny show, she’s whip-smart, and I think her perspective on how women can move up in the workforce even when their resumes don’t reflect it would be incredible.

A. Does podcasting count? Also, avoiding piles of Lego and other small sharp toys my son leaves on the floor.

Q. Write your own epitaph — what would it say?

A. It’s not about the achievements, it’s about putting in the effort and enjoying the journey.

Q. What has been your favourite episode and why?A. So hard to choose! Probably one of my favourites would have been when I interviewed Bryony Gordon to talk about mental health. She is someone who I have so respected, and is so well known in her field. I’d say she was my “big fish” of interviewees.

Over the next several weeks, Todayville will introduce you to members of the Alberta Podcast Network, so you can invite even more Alberta-made podcasts into your ears! You can find Girl Tries Life and dozens of other shows at albertapodcastnetwork.com.

Teen explains her media to her mom on ‘That’s a Thing?!’

If you’ve ever wondered what on Earth the kids in your life are talking about, there’s a podcast that may be able to help.

That’s a Thing?! is billed as “a sometimes belated, already outdated guide to your teens, tweens and everything under 20.”

The idea emerged from conversations between Karen Unland and her daughter, Elizabeth. She would mention something like creepypasta or the antics of some YouTuber, and her mother would literally exclaim, “That’s a thing?!”

As they are both avid podcast listeners, and Unland is the founder of the Alberta Podcast Network, it made sense to have the mics on for the resulting conversation.

You can hear Elizabeth “teensplain” her media culture to her mom once a month. On occasion, Elizabeth brother Jonathan makes an appearance as well.

If you want to see them in real life, That’s a Thing?! is putting on a live show at Edmonton’s SkirtsAfire festival on March 17.

Here’s a bit more from the mother-daughter team behind the show:

Q. What will people get out of listening to your podcast?A. People who don’t understand what kids these days are on about will find our podcast illuminating. But this isn’t a “get off my lawn” kind of thing — Karen isn’t so much disdainful as amused and fascinated, and Elizabeth takes a bit of an anthropological approach to it. We laugh a lot, and it’s kind of a chance to overhear a mother and daughter having a conversation across the generation gap.

Q. What’s the most interesting comment you’ve received from a listener?

A. I’m not sure the comments will make any sense in isolation, but we’re proud to have former Edmonton Journal columnist and now Canadian senator Paula Simons as a fan, and it’s pretty cool to hear her reactions to the shows.

Q. What podcasts do you listen to?

A. We listen to way too many podcasts. Elizabeth likes everything that Night Vale Presents puts out, as well as Sawbones, You Must Remember This, Let’s Find Out, and a lot of true crime. Karen listens to as many members of the Alberta Podcast Network as she can every week, plus a lot of Slate Gabfests, On the Media, Recode Media, Canadaland and Reply All, among others.

Q. Why do you think people enjoy podcasts?

A. They are hands-free, eyes-free entertainment that you can program yourself. You can hear people speak passionately about the very thing you are passionate about.

Q. Write your own epitaph — what would it say?

A. Karen: I tried. Elizabeth: I wanted a green burial — why do I have a headstone?

Q. What has been your favourite episode and why?A.Don’t forget to floss (or do) — it explores the music and dance trends of both our eras, and it was fun to research.

Over the next several weeks, Todayville will introduce you to members of the Alberta Podcast Network, so you can invite even more Alberta-made podcasts into your ears! You can find That’s a Thing?! and dozens of other shows at albertapodcastnetwork.com.

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